Art of dealcoholizing liquids



July s. 1924. 1,500,618

` H. HEUSER ART 0F DEALcoHoLIZiNG LIQUIDS Filed June l, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 8 1924 H. HEUSER ART OF DEAIQCOHOLIZNG, LIQUIDS Filed Jun 1 1920 .'5 Sheets-Sheet HEUSER, F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

ART OFDELCOHOLIZING LIQUIDS.

Application led June 1,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERMAN IIEUsER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in the Art of Dealcoholilzing Liquids, of which the ollowing is a speci- .lication.

The presentV invention' relates to the re-l moval of alcohol'from liquids, and, more particularly from liquids, such as beers, ales,

wines, fermentedfruit juices, which contain dissolved gas and which tend to foam on boiling or when subjected to a vacuum. It

will be fully understood from the following description thereof, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in whichd Fig. 1 is-` a vertical sectional view, partially broken away of a dealcoholizing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. Y

\ line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. V2'is a transverse sectional view on line 2 -2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view part1ally broken away through a modified form of de,-

alcoholilzing apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view In my prior Patents Nos. 1,27 7 ,931 of Sep` tember 3, 1918 and 1,286,315 of December ,3,

v 1918, I have described methods and appara# tus for dealcoholizing liquids, partlcularly of the gas containing and froth-forming type, in which the liquid to be treated was distributed in the form of a thin lm oven a surfaceuponvwhich itowed, likewise in a thin film, while being subjected to the heatof theA type shown in iny prior patents above mentioned, and having a form substantially that of an inverted truncated cone of circular section the lower portion, from which a continuous discharge takes place, being a broken away. The pan is jacketed, an steam is admitted into the jacket 11 at spaced intervals in horizontal zones, as through manifolds 12 and spray distributors 13 by which the steam is distributed oven' the outer surface of the inner wall of pan 10 in very fiat sprays.

The pan is surmounted b a vapor dome 14, which communicates wit vapor line 15, leading to a heat exchanger in which the v the 1920. Serial No. 385,701.

beer or other liquid is' preheated as illustrated in my prior patents, and -to suitable condensing apparatus (not shown). able baffles 16, 17 are provided to preventthe entrainment of liquid by vapors passing into the vapor line 15.

' The beer or other liquid to be dealcoholized, and which may be preheated, if desired, for example by heat exchange with the vapors issuingfrom the pan, asshown in my prior patents hereinbefore referred to, is Supplied through pipe 18, which communi- -cates with the rotatable admission pipe 19 by means of a suitable packed union 20. They pipeI 19 is rotated by means of bevel ,gear 21, keyed thereto, the gear 21 being mounted .on afball bearing thrust 22 on a suitable support 23,' and the pipe 19 is likewise journalled, in a .packed bearing 25 through which it enters the vapor dome 14 and passes into the pan and in bearing 25a within the pan. At its lower end the pipe 19 is threaded into the` hollow box 26, which is provided with a plurality of openings to which are Vconnected the horizontal radial distributing arms or pipes 27. These pipes are spaced from each other by equal arcs, there being, in the apparatus illustrated, four such pipes at right angles to each other. In order to accomplish the results hereinafter pointed `out, at least three such pipes should be provided. These pipes terminate near the walls of the pan and are provided at their outer ends with small openings through which the beer 'is directed against theinner wall of the pan.

the level of the distributing arms, being spaced away fromthe walls of the panby a small gap, say J2- to 1 inch, permitting the free flow of a thin'- ilm of iuid down the walls of the pan and preventing particles of liquid from descending within the pan away from the walls thereof. Rotation of pipe 19 is eected by motor 29 through suitb e speed reducer 30, shaft 3l and gear 32. In operation the beer admission pipe 'is rotated ata relatively slow rate of speed; say, 4050 times per minute. The beer flows through the rotating pipe 19 and the radial pipes 27, and is ejected from the latter against the walls of the pan without a material amountfof splashing. As the ejectmg tion is uniform whether the liquid is sup-` plied at full or partial capacity. The relatively slow rotation of the distributing arms in the construction in accordance with the present invention likewise eliminates" almost entirely splashing due to violence of v`impact of the liquid with the walls ci the pan while permitting the feeding of a continuous ilm of liquid over the entire surface of the pan.

Condensed liquid which forms in the dome and that which forms upon the pipe 19 and box 26 drips into the circular dished pan 33 xed to the latter, from which it drains through downwardly inclined radially di-A rected pipe 34 to 'near vthe wall of the pan, against which it is ejected to be added to the flowing film of liquid thereon.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figs. 3 anr1 't a shield 28 having a conical form and atending to within a short distance from the inner walls of the pan is secured each of the distributing arms 27a which are of similar form of construction to the distributing arms of the form of construction of Figs. l and 2. In the construction shown in these figures the motor 29a is geared directly to the rotatable admission pipe 19a by speed reducing gears 2l and 32a.

' The apparatus -may be loperated under atmospheric pressure, or, if desired, under partial vacuum, or at pressure above atmospheric.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the details of certain forms of construction, it is not intended that these details shall be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention except inso far as included in the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

l. In evaporating apparatus, a yertical pan of circular section, a rotatable liquid supply pipe depending centrally thereinto and terminating nearits top, radial distributing arms secured to the admission pipe near its end and communicating therewith, said pipes terminating adjacent the wall'of lthe pan and discharging upon its inner 'surface, means for rotating the admission pipe with the attached distributing pipes to distribute yliquid uniformly in a continuous flowing iilm over the wall of the pan, and shielding means disposed below the ends of the distributing pipes and spacedfrom the wall of the pan to permit passage of the film of liquid thereon. i

2. In apparatus for dealcoholizing a liquid, a vertical, externally heated pan of inverted conical t'orm having a circularI section, a liquid admission pipe passing into said pan and terminating centrally thereof near its top, four radially directed distribting pipes secured to the admission pipe near its end and communicating therewith,

said pipes being at right angles and of equal.

liquid supply pipe depending centrallythereinto, fand terminating near its top,

radial Adistributing arms secured'to the end of the supply pipe and commumating therewith, said pipes terminating nearer the wall of the pan to distribute liquid thereupon, a pan 'secured to the supply pipe directly below its end to receive liquid condensed on the supply pipe; and a radially directed pipe communicating with said nan and terminating near the wall of the pan to distribute thereover condensed liquid collected in the pan.

HERMAN HEUSER. 

